Torino food

A trip to Italy is not just about history and culture, it is all about the food and Torino food is no exception.

You will have the best pizza you have ever tasted and a dizzying array of pasta choices, but food in Turin also includes local specialities that are difficult to find elsewhere in Italy.

The majority of Torino food and drink is locally sourced, and the Piedmont region is the home of the slow food movement. If you are wondering is Turin worth visiting, I would argue that it is worth visiting for the food alone!

So, what are the best foods and drink to try on your trip to Turin?

Torino food / Food in Turin

Turin chocolate

Turin chocolate is known and loved throughout Italy. It has a distinctive nutty flavour as it is made from locally grown ‘nicciola’ hazelnuts.

You will find chocolate in Turin in all shapes, sizes and forms including bars, truffles, desserts and gelato. You will even find it in drinks! (See Bicerin below).

What is Gianduja?

Gianduja (also spelled Gianduia) is the most famous Turin chocolate brand. It usually comes in the form of a wrapped dark chocolate sweet encasing a gianduja ganache.

Gianduja is creamy, nutty and delicious. We ate gianduja cake, gianduja ice cream and you can even eat gianduja pasta!

Look out for torta gianduja (cake) on Torino restaurant menus or al cioccolato gianduja (a chocolate hazelnut pudding). A must try is the popular bonet (a type of chocolate/coffee cream caramel slice served with amaretti biscuit).

Agnolotti Piedmontesi

This is a type of Piedmont pasta that is hard to find elsewhere in Italy.

Agnolottie is a thinly rolled pasta which is then stuffed with filling and pinched closed. This pinching action gives agnolotti its distinctive small, rectangular shape.

Agnolotti del Pin is the speciality of this region. The pasta is stuffed with beef, pork, and spinach which is then boiled and served with a variety of sauces.

You can also try agnolotti stuffed with lamb, truffles, vegetables or cheese. I recommend ordering agnolotti at least once on your trip to Turin as you might not encounter it again.

TIP – If you visit Avigliana, the agnolotti at Ristorante San Michele is outstanding.

Alba truffles

One of the best-known truffles in Italy comes from Alba near Turin.  Truffle hunting in Alba is a popular day trip from Turin and the Alba Truffle Festival draws huge crowds every year.

Alba truffles give an earthy flavour to Piedmontese cuisine, particularly when added to pasta.

Give it a try and you won’t be disappointed.

Torino foods – Meat dishes

I also recommend trying brasato al barolo which is tender beef slow cooked in red wine. This was my husband’s favourite Torino food dish.

If you like your meat raw, try salsiccia di Bra which is raw tartare beefed stuffed into a sausage. It is a speciality from the town of Bra near Turin.

Pizza in Turin

I expected pizza in Turin to be good, but it turned out to be the best pizza I’ve ever tasted. I wish I knew what made it taste so good!

We ate pizza for lunch, usually buying €2 takeaway slices from whichever outlet had a waiting queue of Torinos outside. Buying takeaways saved time and money but it also allowed us to sample lots of different flavours between our family.

Look for speciality Piedmont pizza toppings including locally made Raschera cheese, Alba truffles and veal sausage from Bra.

I also ate the best focaccia I’ve ever had in Turin. If you visit Piazza Castello, there is a tiny takeaway on the left-hand side of the sqaure that sells huge, fresh focaccia slabs for just €2.

Gelato

You cannot visit Italy without eating gelato – and lots of it.

Gelato is eaten as a takeaway in a wafer cone or a plastic cup. Takeaway prices start from around €2 for a generous helping.

If you choose to ‘eat in’ at a gelateria, expect to pay from €7 per person. For the best gelato in Turin, look where the locals are going.

Taste unique flavours in Turin including Gianduja gelato, nicciola (hazelnut) and dark fondant chocolate (fondente nero). My daughters’ favourite was white tiramisu.

Desserts in Turin

There are lots of non-chocolatey dessert foods to try in Turin.

Zabaione is a creamy yellow, mousse like dessert made from egg yolks mixed with sugar and sweet wine. Children can order Zabaione without the wine. This dessert is very sweet and is usually served with thin cookies for dipping.

Torta di Nocciola cake is made from freshly roasted, locally grown hazelnuts, with icing sugar sprinkled on top of the cake.

Plus, don’t forget that Pannacotta originated in Piedmont so you will never be disappointed ordering Pannacotta.

Torino drinks / Drinks in Turin

Aperitvo Torino

Turin is the home of aperitivo. The first types of Vermouth were produced in the city in 1786. Today, you will see aperitivo advertised all over Turin.

Aperitvo is the Italian tradition of post work/pre dinner drinks and nibbles which is designed to whet your appetite for your late evening meal. If you order one drink at aperitvo time, you will get one plate of snack food.

You can order popular ‘aperitivo Torino’ drinks such as Vermouth, Aperol and Martini’s but you can also order soft drinks in apertivo time.

We enjoyed aperitivo with beer and Bicerin. We got two plates of delicious snacks which definitely left us wanting more.

Bicerin

Bicerin is a popular hot drink in Torino which means ‘small glass’ in Piedmont dialect.

It is a deliciously rich and creamy drink made from coffee, chocolate and cream which is carefully layered in a glass rather than mixed together.

You can also buy Bicerin made with a chocolate liqueur of the same name rather than just chocolate. An alcoholic Bicerin tastes a little like an Irish Coffee but sweeter and creamier.

Cafe shakerato

A cafe shakerato does not originate in Piedmont but it is worth trying if you are visiting Turin.

I drank a lot of cafe shakerato at breakfast in Turin as it was so refreshing on a hot summer’s day. The drink is a mixture of sugar and espresso shaken vigorously with ice. It has a creamy, frothy top and is usually served in a Martini or champagne glass.

I have been trying to recreate cafe shakerato at home but without success!

Barolo

This is a well-known Piedmont red wine made from locally grown Nebbiolo grapes. You will see that it is not the cheapest wine you will find in Torino restaurants, but it is delicious.

Alternatively, try Barbaresco which is also made from Nebbiolo.

Chinotto

We first tasted Chinotto in Turin and our kids loved it.

Chinotto is a dark, fizzy soft drink made from sour, sharp Chinotto oranges. It has a bitter taste, but it is refreshing served with lots of ice.

If you’re familiar with Dandelion and Burdock in the U.K, Chinotto is similar but with a kick.

Genepy

Genepy (genepì in Italian) is a strong herbal liqueur which is made in the Alpine regions of Piedmont, Italy and Savoy, France.

It is made using the fragrant tops of plants from the Artemisia family which only blooms in summer months in the Alps. Genepì is drunk neat and in small quantities (!) after dinner.

We tried a variety that had had rosemary added to it. It tasted as good as it smelled. Unfortunately, we were told by the owner of the restaurant that we would not find this variety anywhere else. Sadly, he was right.

So, now that you know all the best Torino food and drink to try during your trip there is only one thing left to say. Buon appetito!